For What It's Worth
by nananine
Summary: Reno was dangerous at the best of times, but Tifa finds herself facing a man who will do whatever it takes to prove her guilty. Chapter Three: Tifa loses her nerve when the Turk calls her bluff. Pre-game. RenoxTifa
1. Harassment

Slightly AU as far as timeline goes. I decided to ignore some events and change others. The story runs from pre-game through AC.

Rated M for language, violence, and suggestive situations.

**For What It's Worth **– **Chapter One**

He sauntered into the bar well before closing time, but the place was empty save for the bartender who sat at a table on the far wall, huddled under a blanket. A lone candle served as the only source of light in the otherwise pitch-black room.

"This is harassment, Reno," Tifa said through gritted teeth. "It's a new low, even for you."

The Turk cocked an eyebrow, while a corner of his mouth turned up into a smirk. "You underestimate me, Lockhart. I've done way worse things than this."

_Smug bastard. _"You cut off my power!"

"I thought that'd get your attention. Y'know, since past due notices and phone calls don't seem to be getting through to you." Reno looked at the shot glass and half-empty bottle sitting on the table in front of Tifa, and his smirk quickly became a full-on grin. "Not only does she serve liquor, she can hold it pretty well, too." He sat down at the seat across from her, and tipped his chair back until it rested on two legs.

Everything about his posture radiated confidence, and Tifa's jaw clenched as she realized that although this was her bar, Reno seemed to be in complete control. The red-haired Turk grabbed the bottle and glass, and began to pour a healthy shot for himself. "When'd ya get to be such a lush?"

"When you turned off my heat," Tifa ground out as she watched him toss back the shot.

"Ugh. Brandy?" Reno pulled a face and pushed the liquor back to the middle of the table. "I can think of better ways to keep you warm…"

"What exactly are you doing here?" she asked, quickly becoming irritated. "Do they always send Turks out to collect on late payments, or is this a special form of punishment? Did you get demoted?"

He leant forward to put all four chair legs back on the floor. There was a strange gleam in his eyes, and Tifa could tell that he was enjoying himself. "We drew straws, actually. I won."

The bartender simply stared back at him and crossed her arms, pulling the blanket tighter around her as she waited for him to continue.

"Alright, you got me," Reno said finally, raising his hands in mock defeat. "The late bills are only half the reason I'm here." Suddenly, his pleasant demeanor vanished, and the Turk was all business. "Obviously we've been investigating several leads on the terrorists that call themselves 'AVALANCHE', and we were…surprised to hear the _7th Heaven_ mentioned. Things got even stranger when the owner of that bar stopped paying her bills to the Shinra Company. Coincidence?"

"I doubt it," Tifa said, not missing a beat. "Rumors like that are probably why people haven't been coming into the bar much lately." A ghost of a smile crossed Reno's face, and to Tifa, it looked almost genuine.

"That's not what I was going to say. It's a...possible explanation. Possible, but unlikely. Answer me honestly, Lockhart. Are you a member of the terrorist group, 'AVALANCHE'?"

"I'm afraid I don't know how to respond to your question, Reno." At that, the knowing smirk was back on his face, and Tifa clenched her fists in an attempt to reign in her temper.

"It's a simple yes or no question, babe. There's not much to think about." This time it was Tifa's turn to smile, and she leaned forward, dropping the blanket from her shoulders as she moved.

"Alright, then. Tell me, what would you do if I said, 'yes'?"

"I'd haul your ass back to Shinra headquarters."

"…And with good reason. Now what would you do if I answered, 'no'?"

"I'd assume you're lying, knock you out, and _then_ haul your ass back to Shinra headquarters."

"Since I would prefer not to do either of those things, I'll have to refrain from answering the question."

"That only makes me more suspicious," the Turk said, laughing. Tifa shrugged and allowed herself a small, victorious smile. A joking Reno was still extremely dangerous, but a serious Reno scared her more than she wanted to admit.

"Okay," she began, trying to steer the conversation away from AVALANCHE. "What will it take to get my heat back and get you the hell out of my bar?"

"Well, you could pay your bill in full, plus interest."

"And what would that run me?"

"Seven hundred."

The bar owner frowned. "That's an awful lot of interest."

"And you're awfully late in making your payments."

"Point taken. But I still can't pay it."

Reno thought for a moment. "You could…"

"No."

He blinked. "I didn't say anything yet."

"I've seen that look before, and the answer's 'no.'" The red-headed Turk flashed a smile that made her breath catch in her throat.

"Why would you automatically think it's something dirty, Lockhart?" Tifa managed to cover her embarrassment with a doubtful look. "Alright. Fair enough. You have every reason to think that. So how would you propose we settle this debt of yours?"

Tifa stood up, grabbing the blanket from off the chair as she walked to the counter at the back of her bar. The Turk, unable to contain his curiosity, also left the table, taking the woman's shot glass and liquor with him. Reno handed them to her, and she muttered her thanks as she dropped the glass into the sink and placed the bottle of brandy back on the shelf.

She pulled a lighter from her pocket and dropped into a crouch, sitting back on her heels in front of a small black safe. Tifa flicked on the lighter and put her hand on the combination dial before turning her head to look back at the Turk. He was propped up by his elbows on the counter, his lanky body stretched backwards while he watched her intently. "Don't look," Tifa said as she started to enter the combination.

"Wouldn't dream of it…" he murmured. Reno didn't particularly care about the safe. He was too busy staring at the dark-haired bartender to pay attention to anything else. If she was trying to hide something, she wouldn't have put it somewhere as obvious as a safe anyway.

After a few turns, Tifa pulled a small stack of bills out, and then closed the door before she cleared the dial. She then stood up and held the money out for him to take.

"Are you bribing me?" Reno asked, reaching out to take the cash. His fingers brushed against hers and lingered just long enough for her to notice. She pulled her hand back quickly, and silently cursed the Turk for making her blush. Part of her was glad it was so dark in the bar, and she hoped that he hadn't seen the pink tinge blooming on her cheeks.

"For my bill."

"This is only two-fifty," Reno said as he thumbed through the money.

"It's all I have right now. I planned to use it to restock my shelves, but the alcohol won't do me any good if I can't even light the place."

"That's the spirit. We'll take this as a sign of your goodwill and your cooperation with the Shinra Company." He straightened up and tucked the money into the inner pocket of his suit. "When can I expect the rest?"

"I can probably have it in a couple days." The Turk nodded, and turned to head for the door. "Wait. What about my electricity?"

"First thing tomorrow," he said, glancing over his shoulder at her.

"Tomorrow? What am I supposed to do tonight?" Reno stood still for a moment before he turned around completely. He thrust his hands into his pockets and walked purposefully back towards her. The Turk stopped with only inches between them, and it was close enough for her to feel the body heat radiating off him. Tifa's eyes were level with Reno's chest, and she found herself staring at the prominent collar bones visible through the open V of his white shirt. She willed herself to look up at his face, and found him staring at her with a steadiness she rarely saw in him.

"The offer still stands," he said softly, without any hint of a smile or a leer. "I'll warm your bed, Lockhart."

Tifa fought the instinct to step away from him, and prayed that her voice sounded stronger than she felt.

"No."

"No?" he repeated.

"You're…not my type…" she ended lamely. _Of all the reasons you could have given him, that was the best you could come up with?_ Tifa thought, mentally berating herself.

The Turk seemed particularly amused by that. "Really. What is your type? Boring? Gentle? _Nice?_"

"There's nothing wrong with that," Tifa said defensively. Reno leaned in until she could feel his breath on her lips.

"I could change your mind."

"I don't think…" she began, but that was all the further she got, as he closed the last gap between them, and the rest of the thought fled from her mind. Tifa felt his lips move slowly against hers, but was too stunned to do anything about it. Reno seemed to become impatient with her and bit her lip harshly, causing her to gasp in surprise. That was all the opening he needed, and he used the opportunity to deepen the kiss. The Turk moved one hand to the back of Tifa's head, and she found herself leaning into his touch. But almost as soon as she started to respond, he broke off the kiss and took a step backwards.

Tifa brought a hand to her mouth and winced as she touched the spot where he'd bitten her. "Nice guys don't kiss like that."

"True," he said with a smile. "But you liked it."

Reno walked to the front of the bar and stopped to look back at Tifa with the door half open. "Pleasant dreams, babe." And with a wink, he was out the door.

'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'

"Are you sure?" Tseng asked him again. "We're trying to run a company, and we can't deal with another PR nightmare. This needs to be dealt with quickly."

Reno switched his phone to his right hand and pushed the left deep into his pocket, cursing the cold as well as his luck. He would have much rather been back in the _7th Heaven_, hands tangled in her hair, and…

"…_Reno_."

"Yeah. Yeah, if I'm sure of anything, it's this: Tifa Lockhart is AVALANCHE."


	2. Incompetent

I've gotten some positive feedback on my Reno, which is exciting. Given his relatively small part in the game, I may be taking a few liberties as far as his character goes, but I'm trying to keep him as close to cannon as possible. He's definitely got a mean streak, and it's only going to get worse...

**For What It's Worth – Chapter Two**

The whole of sector seven seemed to be deserted as Tifa stepped out of her bar and locked the door behind her. Without sunlight to warm the air, the slums in winter were always substantially colder than anywhere above the plate. _A perfect situation for Shinra,_ Tifa thought bitterly. _They're free to gouge us, 'cause there isn't a damn thing we can do about it. _As a member of AVALANCHE, paying a monthly bill to the company she was trying to ruin was particularly demoralizing.

True to his word, Reno had arranged for her power to be turned back on, and she had woken up that next morning to the soft hum of warm air circulating through the apartment attached to her bar. _A necessary evil…_ she reminded herself.

She quickly reached the outskirts of Wall Market and willed herself not to look back over her shoulder. The last thing Tifa needed was to glance around as if she were hiding something. With that uneasy feeling of leaving her back completely exposed and vulnerable, she trudged through the heart of the small town, ignoring the whistles and catcalls along the way. Tifa had yet to find anywhere sleazier than this section of the slums ruled by Don Corneo.

The weapons shop came into view, and the brunette picked up her pace, eager to get out of the cold. She opened the door and walked up to the metal fencing that separated her from the man sitting behind the counter.

"Tifa!" the man yelled in surprise. "What the hell are you doing out here? We're still coming by this week, yeah?"

"Change of plans, Barret," she said, keeping her voice low as she shook her head. "I was thinking we could head over to Jessie's instead."

The man rested his gun-arm on the counter while pretending to look through some weapons manuals. "I can let everyone know. You got problems?" he asked seriously.

Tifa looked over the weapons on display. The store had gotten in a new pair of metal knuckles: her weapon of choice. But she knew if push came to shove with Reno, fighting with her fists would be a little too conspicuous. "Picked up a stray…" the bartender murmured, as her gaze stopped on the firearms.

Barret leaned forward, closing the book. "A stray, huh? The kind that wears a uniform, or the kind that wears a suit?"

Her mind went immediately to an image of the Turk, and Tifa frowned. Reno's wrinkled jacket and untucked, half-open shirt annoyed her almost as much as his smart-ass mouth. "I suppose if you use a very loose interpretation of the word 'suit'…"

"Fuck," the man swore softly. "The random patrols were one thing, but those guys…?"

"We'll discuss it later," Tifa said with a wave of her hand. "Right now, what I need is a gun."

Barret raised his eyebrows, but didn't question her. He simply turned and made his way to the pile of weapons in the back. The burly man was actually quite relieved. He had been trying to convince Tifa to buy one ever since her bar had been robbed, and she couldn't fight back for fear of breaking her cover.

"And make sure it's a _real_ gun, Barret!" Tifa called from behind him. "If I pull out a little girl gun, the bad guys are going to laugh at me."

He let out a chuckle, as he turned back to her, pistol in hand. "We don't fucking sell "little girl" guns here, kid. Now this is the Quicksilver. I can make you a real good deal on it," Barret said with a wink. Tifa put a one hundred gil down payment on the counter, and he swept it into the money till. "Just get me another two whenever you can, and we'll call it even."

The brunette picked up the Quicksilver and studied it carefully. "This has to be worth at least three times that..."

"Four times, actually," Barret said, smiling. "Don't worry 'bout it. I'll just fudge the inventory a bit." He swung his gun-arm in an arc, gesturing towards the massive heap of weapons strewn across the floor. "It's not like the owner's been keepin' a detailed fucking list. He'll never miss it." He reached underneath the counter and grabbed two boxes of ammo, placing them next to Tifa's new pistol. "Besides," Barret began, as the woman began loading the bullets. "I don't think he'd mind me cuttin' you a break. He's got a soft spot for you."

"He's a good customer..." She said, concentrating on her task as she attempted to hide a blush. "I'll uh, see you at Jessie's, then. Same time."

"Yeah, Teef. I'll be there. And stay safe, alright?"

"I'm the soul of discretion…" she said as she twirled the new gun on her finger.

"Uh-huh," Barret muttered, as she left the store. "Just don't shoot off your goddamn foot…"

'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'

A frustrated Reno pushed his chair away from the desk and pinched the bridge of his nose. The Turk had hit a brick wall while investigating Tifa's background. He'd known that she wasn't a Midgar native, but he couldn't find a single thing about her before her move to the city four years ago. And after establishing herself in her sector seven bar, there wasn't so much as a footnote on her record. It had taken him all of twenty minutes to put together an embarrassingly small file on her.

He shut off his terminal and picked up the folder of papers he'd printed off, as he headed out into the hallway. Reno knew he would have to dig deeper in order to find anything about her life before Midgar. That also meant "deeper" in the literal sense, as the redhead found himself traveling on the lift into the bowels of the Shinra building. Reno had never ventured into the archives, and was unsure of what to expect.

When the lift doors opened, the Turk found himself staring at a room that was obviously very large, but seemed cramped, as it was filled to capacity with shelves. There was a small desk near a bank of computers to Reno's left, and he decided that would be the place to start. The desk was impeccably neat, but there was no sign of any living person.

"Yo!" Reno called out. "Is there anyone down here?" A head popped out from behind the stacks, and the figure, laden down with books slowly made it's way to the front of the room. The archivist was a middle-aged woman whose black hair had begun to turn gray at the temples. She had it swept back into a no-nonsense pony-tail at the nape of her neck.

"Can I help you with something?" she asked politely, as she dropped her load of books onto the desk.

"God, I hope so," Reno replied, his irritation evident in his voice. "I can't find any record of this woman before she moved to Midgar a couple years ago. She's like a fucking ghost." The woman held out her hand for the file, her eyes narrowed in dislike at the Turk's language. "Her name is Tifa Lockhart," he continued, handing her the papers. "The accent makes me think she's from the west continent, but I want to check everything from Kalm to Wutai."

"Fine," the archivist said after looking briefly through the papers. "I just need you to fill out a few forms, and then I'll get back to you if I find anything."

The redhead picked up a pen and frowned. "You can't just…uh…look it up right now?" He found himself the target of a withering glare, and looked away quickly, focusing on the paperwork she'd placed in front of him.

"There are thousands of volumes down here, and you didn't exactly give me much detail to go on, did you?" The woman flipped the dossier back open. "'Age: Twenty-ish. Birthplace: Not Midgar.' And I won't even mention what you wrote under 'Distinguishing Features'…"

Reno put down the pen and ran a hand over his face tiredly. "Alright. Start with Gongaga, Nibelheim, and Rocket Town. Let me know what you come up with." She nodded curtly before turning towards the stacks, mission in hand.

'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'

As the last of her customers were finishing their drinks, Tifa found herself eyeing the clock nervously. She had been anticipating a visit from Reno for the past two days. Not knowing exactly when he'd show up had put her completely on edge. That was undoubtedly a very useful tool in the Turk's arsenal.

The remaining group of men placed some gil on their table and stood up to leave. Tifa sighed and reached her hands into the sink, fishing a glass out of the soapy water. She was resigned to the fact that she would be alone in the bar when Reno came back. The bartender was reasonably sure that was also planned.

The previous few days had yielded a decent amount of business, and she had made enough to cover the rest of the bill, but with very little left over. She'd had to make a choice between food and the new gun."Didn't feel like eating this week, anyway…" Tifa muttered under her breath.

"Talking to yourself this time?"

Tifa dropped the dish she had been holding, and it fell into the water with a splash. "Shit," she swore loudly. "Could you make some noise like a normal person?"

The redhead shrugged, letting the door close behind him. "I wasn't trying to be sneaky or anything. You must have been deep in thought, Lockhart."

She ignored him, her hands gripping the sides of the sink to keep them from shaking. The quick shot of adrenaline left her feeling drained. The bar owner took a deep, slow breath, willing herself to calm down. "The rest of the money is in that envelope. End of the counter."

Reno made his way over to the bar, and picked up the package, testing its weight before it disappeared inside the folds of his jacket. "Much obliged," he said, as he leaned forward to rest his arms on the counter.

"You're not even going to count it?"

"Nope." His mouth curled into a slow smile. "I trust you." Tifa scowled, but said nothing. She could feel the man watching her, as she neared the end of her pile of dishes. She slowed down, hoping Reno would leave before she ran out of things to do.

"What were you doing in Wall Market today?" he asked casually. The brunette finally looked up at him, and was unsurprised to find him staring at her.

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "You following me, Reno?"

"I already told you that we had you under surveillance."

"Doesn't that defeat the purpose?" Tifa asked, genuinely curious. She pulled the plug from the sink, and watched the water drain out. "Telling someone that you're watching them, I mean."

"Not really," the Turk replied, as she began drying the dishes and putting them away. "I already followed you for two weeks without you noticing." He paused. "You were kind of boring, actually." Tifa stiffened, her mind racing through the last few weeks, trying to remember what she'd done and who she'd talked to. If Reno noticed, he didn't comment, but returned to his previous line of questioning. "I saw you head for Wall Market, but I'll admit, I lost you somewhere along the way. Shopping?"

"Yeah," she replied, her back to the Turk. "I saw a guy about a gun." Tifa reached into a nearby drawer and pulled out the Quicksilver, placing it on the bar where Reno could see it. She heard the redhead chuckle behind her.

"You plannin' to shoot somebody, Lockhart?"

Tifa turned over her shoulder and looked at Reno appraisingly. "Haven't decided yet…" She continued stacking the glasses in her cupboard, and she heard slow footsteps coming towards her. The gun scraped across the wood counter as the Turk lifted it into his left hand. He grunted in approval.

"Pretty good. But can you use it?"

The bartender smiled wryly. "Keep pushing your luck, and you might find out." Tifa heard the chamber release, and she glanced over to see the man inspecting her Quicksilver.

"Just making sure you had it loaded…" Reno said with a grin.

"You really think I'm that incompetent?" Tifa asked, shaking her head. The gun hit her counter with a heavy _thunk_, and she suddenly felt hands drifting lightly over her bare arms. Her muscles tensed, and she had to force herself to relax. The Turk's body was too close, and it would have been so easy to draw on her years of training to incapacitate him.

When Reno spoke, his voice was right next to her, and Tifa knew if she moved, his lips would end up brushing her ear. "I think you're a lot of things, babe. But I can promise you, 'incompetent' isn't one of them."

She rolled her shoulders back, shrugging off his hands, but she soon found them resting low on her hips instead. "Cut it out," she said, but the Turk ignored her, and pulled her body towards him until her back was flush against his chest. "Let go. I have to finish cleaning up."

"Do it tomorrow," Reno murmured, as he licked the outer shell of her ear. Tifa's body responded with a shiver, and the redhead grinned as one hand left its place at her hip to slide under the hem of her shirt.

"Stop," the bartender said firmly. She grabbed the Turk's wrist, but it had already ceased moving, and she felt him take a small step away from her.

"Turn around."

Tifa's hand tightened its grip, but otherwise she remained still. The words had been spoken with the authority of someone who was not expecting to be disobeyed. She knew he would press the issue, and there was no way he would simply let it go, but she felt frozen in place.

"Turn _around_, Lockhart."


	3. Damaged

Thanks to everyone who's taken the time to leave feedback for me. I know I'm a little slow at getting the updates out, but stick with me…I know where this one's going, so there's no excuse for me not to finish. In any case, I hope this was worth the wait…Enjoy.

**For What It's Worth – Chapter Three**

"Turn _around_, Lockhart."

Tifa closed her eyes and exhaled softly as she relinquished her hold on the Turk's wrist. Reno dropped his hands from her waist and she pivoted slowly to face him. He saw that her fists were clenched at her sides and that the skin along her knuckles had gone white. He reached out to touch the bottom of her shirt, but he hesitated, expecting a reaction from the brunette.

Reno's eyes moved up to her face to find that she was looking away from him, her mouth twisted into a frown. It wasn't exactly permission, but Tifa didn't look like she was going to stop him, either. His thumbs hooked under the hem of her shirt, and he slowly pulled the fabric up, exposing her stomach.

"Fuck me," he breathed, staring at the long, thin line that traveled up from her right hip, and disappeared beneath the edge of her bra. "How did you get _that_?"

Although the nerves had been damaged and she no longer had any feeling in the area around her scar, the slight pressure of the Turk's fingertips made Tifa cringe. "Don't touch it," she said, backing as far away as she could.

Reno let her have her space, and looked up once more at her face. The bartender's eyes were squeezed shut, and it seemed as though she was trying to will her scar away.

"Are you ashamed of it?"

"No," she replied, shaking her head. "I just…don't want to think about the bastard that did this to me." Tifa glanced up and found his gaze locked onto hers. For a moment, neither of them moved, until Reno began to lower his hands, and the brunette's clothing was suddenly back in place.

"Fair enough," he said, and Tifa felt a few seconds of relief before the redhead leaned in, his nose nearly touching hers. "I'd prefer to have your undivided attention."

The Turk didn't even register her movement, until he felt Tifa shove him away forcefully. "No, Reno."

He flashed her a grin. "Haven't we been through this already?"

"I'm being serious," she said, pushing him again.

"So am I."

Tifa crossed her arms and gave him a hard glare. "I think you should leave."

"C'mon, Lockhart…" Reno groaned, exasperated. Taking in her defiant stance, the redhead decided how he would regain the upper-hand. And after six years with the Turks, he had very few qualms about fighting dirty. "It's just sex. What are you afraid of?"

Tifa's eyebrows arched in disbelief. _Bingo_, Reno thought.

"Afraid? You don't scare me."

"Uh-huh," Reno said, as he shifted his weight to rest his left arm on the counter. "Then why'd you buy the gun?"

The brunette moved to push him again, but he was expecting it this time, and just as her hands touched the collar of his jacket, she found them both trapped within his strong grip. "Screw you," Tifa growled, angry and frustrated that she couldn't fight him on her own terms.

Reno smirked, brushing his thumbs across the top of her knuckles. "If you're offering…"

"Get out," she said quietly.

"Hmm…" he began, as he released her right arm. "If you want me to leave that badly, you're going to have to _make_ me." Reno lifted the gun off the counter and held it out to her, handle first. When Tifa didn't take it, he grabbed her hand and placed the Quicksilver in it. "No sense buying a gun if you're not willing to use it."

Tifa didn't speak, but she brought her other hand to steady the weapon, and pointed it at the center of his chest. The Turk's smile never faltered though, as he glanced down to see where the barrel met his white shirt. "You won't do it," he stated confidently. The bartender tilted her head in question. "I don't think you can," Reno continued, his tone condescending. "Ya know, before you can fire a gun, you have to…"

Click.

"I see you've found the safety."

"This is the slums, Reno. Everyone knows how to use a gun."

The Turk chuckled, taking a step and forcing the brunette to draw her arms closer to her body. "I _knew_ you weren't incompetent. But I still don't think you have the nerve…"

"I could shoot you in the foot," Tifa said, her words barely above a whisper.

"Then do it, Lockhart."

"You're awfully cocky for someone who's unarmed," she shot back, trying to inject that same attitude into her own voice, but coming up short.

Reno took one last step forward, until the gun was the only thing left between them. "I'm a Turk, babe," he said, looking down at her. "I'm never unarmed."

Tifa's fingers began to loosen around the gun's handle, as she realized her mistake. The Quicksilver would have been a deterrent against most people, but Reno seemed able to read her every move, and he'd called her bluff perfectly. She'd bought the weapon without any intentions of killing the Turk, instead figuring that she could at least graze him with a bullet and send him on his way. But she'd never attacked anyone in cold blood before, and Tifa found herself unable to pull the trigger. She gave a resigned sigh, as her thumb flipped the safety back on.

"I don't want to clean your blood off my floor…"

"If you say so," he said, removing the gun from her grip and placing it back on the bar. The Turk reached out and softly brushed the backs of his fingers against her cheek in an oddly tender way. The touch was so brief, Tifa almost missed it as she felt his fingers slide through her hair, pulling her into a kiss.

This time, there was no hesitation; no moment of frozen shock. Her lips easily fell into rhythm with his, and the bartender could feel his smile against her mouth.

"You've had quite the change of heart, haven't you?" he asked, pulling back just far enough to speak.

"Shut up, Reno," she said, as she gripped the lapels of his jacket and used the leverage to lift herself up to meet him in a heated kiss. The Turk had enough presence of mind not to ruin a good thing, and he refrained from further comment, instead losing himself in the rich smell of Tifa's hair and the feel of her body pressed tightly to his.

Reno moved on to her neck, while one hand trailed lightly down to rest at the small of her back. He decided not to go any further just yet. It would definitely kill the mood if he ended up getting slapped, so the redhead thought it might be best to let her make the next move.

The Turk wasn't disappointed when he felt Tifa tugging the goggles off his head. "Why do you wear these things, anyway?" she asked, as she dropped them to the floor. Reno grazed his teeth across her skin, and the brunette inhaled softly. He fought down a chuckle, and ran his tongue over the same spot before answering.

"When I ride my motorcycle," he said, lifting his head to look at her. "So I don't get bugs in my eyes."

Tifa wrinkled her nose, and her mouth twisted into a grimace. "Lovely."

This time, the red-haired Turk couldn't hold back a laugh. "You asked." His hands were now travelling lower, smoothing over her curves and causing their hips to grind together maddeningly.

"Not here," she began, as she felt her skirt riding higher up her legs with Reno's every movement. His forehead came down to rest against hers. He didn't answer right away, and Tifa knew he was struggling not to lose his composure in front of her.

"I don't think I can wait much longer, babe," he said finally. His voice had taken on a huskier tone than normal, and the bartender was surprised by how much she had affected him.

Tifa grasped his forearms and pushed them away from her, at the same time stepping past him towards the open end of the bar. "Focus, Reno," Tifa said, as she used her hold on his arms to guide him over to the door leading to her apartment. "Upstairs."

She glanced up at his face and found herself staring into green eyes that were darkened with lust. The Turk looked like he was contemplating simply throwing her against the wall in his impatience. But he didn't move. He spoke instead, his words soft and barely contained. "Fine," Reno said, as if reminding her that he could just as easily have ignored the request and overpowered her, despite her protests. "Lead the way."

Tifa shook her head, taking a step back. "I have to lock up first. My room is on the left. You can wait there."

"Fucking tease," he growled. "You're doing this on purpose."

"_Go,_" she said angrily, as she pointed to the stairs. "Before I change my mind, walk out the door, and _leave_."

That was apparently one bluff he wasn't willing to gamble on. The redhead trudged up the steps muttering what Tifa could only assume to be wildly colorful obscenities. The sounds soon faded, and all at once Tifa was alone with her thoughts. Every instinct the fighter possessed was screaming at her to get away; to find somewhere safe and wait out the rest of the night.

She walked slowly to the entrance of her bar while a battle raged in her mind. The rational part of her brain supplied dozens of reasons why she shouldn't go upstairs. The bartender knew that it would be a very big mistake to sleep with a Turk when she was guilty of everything he had accused her of. But traitorous thoughts kept slipping through, and Tifa stopped with her hand on the doorknob.

_An innocent person would have no real reason to run away from the situation, and aren't I trying to look as innocent as possible?_ The brunette bit her lip in worry. If she didn't come to a decision soon, Tifa had no doubt that Reno would come back down and make it for her. _If I leave him alone here, that's practically inviting him to look through my things. And if he finds the room downstairs, it's game over…_

Tifa took a deep breath before reaching out to slide the deadbolt into place.

'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'

"I didn't think you were coming back."

Reno was sitting at the edge of her bed, his elbows resting just above his knees. The redhead didn't look up as she entered, and Tifa wondered if he was trying to hide his expression from her. She closed the door behind her and strode across the room to stand in front of him. Her hand reached out tentatively to touch his fiery red hair. Reno raised his head to look up at her, and suddenly the bartender felt the soft skin of his face beneath her fingertips. His eyes closed briefly as she traced her thumb along the small line that ran across his cheek.

Reno took the bottom hem of her shirt and stood up. The brunette lifted her arms, and he pulled it off in one fluid motion. Quickly following suit, Tifa pushed the jacket off his shoulders, letting it fall to the ground as she began working at the buttons of his white dress shirt. No sooner had it been removed than the Turk found himself flat on his back, with Tifa straddling his hips and running her hands over the taut muscles of his stomach.

"Shit, Lockhart…" Reno said, biting back a groan as the friction made his body respond in very obvious ways. "What are you trying to do to me?"

"Having second thoughts?" the brunette asked, smiling as she set to the task of ridding him of the rest of his clothes. He kicked off his pants and sat up far enough to reach a hand around the back of Tifa's neck.

"Not a chance," Reno replied, before pulling her down on top of him and kissing her hungrily.

A muffled ringing came from the vicinity of the Turk's discarded clothing, and Tifa broke their contact, looking at him questioningly. "It can wait," he said without much consideration. Still, she hesitated, distracted by the sound of Reno's PHS. "I said, _leave it_."

And as his hands made their way down her body, his phone quickly became the last thing on Tifa's mind.

'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'


End file.
